Barzani hails the Political Council for Strategic Policies

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: North Iraq‘s Kurdistan President, Massoud Barzani, has described the newly-formed “Political Council for Startegic Policies (PCSP),” led by al-Iraqiya Coalition’s Leader and former Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, as “important,” and must play its active role in the country’s administration, because it embodies what he defined as a “genuine partnership,” according to a Kurdistan Presidency statement. It pointed out that Barzani’s above statement had been expressed during his reception in Arbil’s Salahaddin Resort on Tuesday, the American Ambassador to Baghdad, James Jeffery and the Commander of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, General Austin. “Barzani has reaffirmed commitment to the agreement, achieved among Iraq‘s leading political parties and blocs, as well as the internal system of the Council of Ministers and the Permanent Constitution,” describing the Political Council for Strategic Policies as “important, and must play its active role in the country’s administration, because it embodies genuine partnership.” The statement pointed out that “both sides have discussed Iraq‘s law on oil & gas and its general budget, as well as Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution and the the mechanism of distributing the new cabinet posts among the leading political blocs that won Iraq‘s March 7th nationwide elections.” It added that Ambassador Jeferry had “expressed the United States full commitment to support the political process in Iraq in general, and Kurdistan Region in particular.” The Iraqi Parliament on Tuesday had granted trust to the government program, presented by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and members of his new cabinet, that took place after about nine months of dialogue among different political forces, that followed the nationwide parliamentary elections that took place on March 7th last. Maliki had presented his new cabinet’s ministers to the Parliament on 21/12/2010, comprising 41 ministries, whilst he assigned the Ministries of Interior, Defense and National Security for himself, on acting basis, along with assigning a number other cabinet posts on the same basis, pending the final assignment of the original ministers. SKH 53